Israelis hold a gathering against Netanyahu over the start of a new war with Gaza.
Israelis have held a protest against Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice to start a war with Gaza again. They want a new ceasefire agreement to get the remaining prisoners released.
On Wednesday, protesters met outside of al-Quds’s Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to criticize Netanyahu for putting his political goals and those of his ruling coalition ahead of those of the regime and the lives of Israeli prisoners.
As the protesters marched into the city, they stopped on the main road that leads to al-Quds and held signs that said, “The future of the coalition or the future of Israel.”
A day before the protest, Israel launched new airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 400 Palestinians and breaking a short-term ceasefire.
Leader of the legal watchdog Movement for Quality Government in Israel, Elias Shraga, said at the protest that the war is meant to keep Netanyahu in power.
“Netanyahu wanted to get away from the law.” This is the only reason for the coup and this terrible war. “This mix is very dangerous,” Shraga told CNN.
The new attacks happened just hours before Netanyahu was supposed to appear in his corruption trial.
“He wanted to get away from the law because he wants to keep his coalition together and is ready to kill his people to do it.” Shraga said, “It’s basic.” He also said that the return of strikes showed once more that Netanyahu “doesn’t care about” the Israeli prisoners held in Gaza who were supposed to be freed under the ceasefire agreement.
The start of the war has also helped Netanyahu strengthen his weak government before a crucial vote later this month on Israel’s budget.
Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right Jewish Power party said it would join Netanyahu’s government not long after Gaza was bombed on Tuesday.
In protest against the truce deal made in January, Ben-Gvir and two other ministers quit.
Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition, joined the protest on Wednesday and said it was meant to “make sure the government understands they cannot do whatever they want.”
Israeli forces began their killing in Gaza on October 7, 2023. There have been at least 49,547 deaths so far.
The Israeli government had to agree to a peace deal with Hamas in January because it hadn’t been able to reach any of its goals, such as “eliminating” the Palestinian resistance movement or freeing prisoners.
The 42-day stage of the truce ended on March 1, but Israel is not starting to talk about the second stage of the deal. This is because Israel repeatedly broke the truce.